This certainly is a busy time of the year, and I’m dropping by here between points of departure. Here’s some quick updates:

+ I’ll be attending World Horror Convention in Toronto this weekend (3/29-4/1). If you’re also there, here’s where you can catch me:

Thurs, 11pm: PANEL: “What Exactly is Horror?” (Simcoe Room)

Fri, 11 am: Book Signing at HWA table

Fri, 8pm: Book Signing at Mass Autograph Session

Sat, 11:30am: READING (Simcoe Room)

Sat, 3pm: SCREENING: EXQUISITE CORPSE (King Room)

Sat, 8pm: Bram Stoker Award Banquet

Sun, 11am: PANEL: New Writers to Look Out For (Ballroom C)

+ As the Horror Guest of Honor at the Context literary convention this coming September in Columbus, Ohio, I’ll be running a special genre poetry writing workshop. Here’s a description of what’s planned:

Michael A. Arnzen: Writing SF/F/H Poetry

(Friday, September 28th, 7-10 pm)

Join award-winning poet and writing professor Mike Arnzen as he leads a 3-hour workshop on crafting poetry for science fiction, fantasy, and horror markets (which, unlike literary journals, actually do pay and don’t charge annoying reading fees!). SF/F/H poetry, in Arnzen’s view, is not simply a playful exercise in rhyme or an expression of emotion, but a “thought experiment” in the genre. “Free verse” (or open form) poetry will be emphasized in this workshop, but writers of all forms and all levels of experience — from novice to published — are warmly welcome to participate, as we explore the elements of good poetry through discussion of provided examples and fun, creative, in-class exercises.

However, you have an (easy!) assignment: bring a ROUGH draft of a short poem (any style, fifteen lines or less) to the workshop, inspired by the following phrase, which must be the title of your poem: “Blood is not Red on the Moon”.

Participants are encouraged to share their work at the open poetry reading, which will be held Saturday night of the convention. $15

I’m posting about this now because you must sign up early to reserve a seat. For more details visit the Context workshop page.

If fiction is your bag instead of poetry, then don’t forget about the Odyssey Fiction Workshops; the deadline for applications is in about two weeks.

***
In other news:

+ The ICFA last weekend was a wonderful experience, and the panel discussion on Exquisite Corpse was a true highlight. (You can read Gina Wisker’s sharp essay on my short-shorts, called “Domestic Dissection” online). Next year’s conference will be on “the sublime” in fantasy/horror and I’m tentatively hopeful I’ll attend.

+ This site was given a Blog of the Day award while I was away last week. Neat.

+ I’ve turned in the bonus materials for the upcoming re-release of 100 Jolts: Shockingly Short Stories in hardcover later this Spring. The book will include “Aftershocks” (a batch of new stories), a new afterword that looks at short-shorts and their relationship to “snack media culture”, and a bundle of creative writing prompts based on the stories in the collection, in the vein of The Goreletter’s Instigation.

+ Progress is being made on my upcoming new collection, Proverbs for Monsters, to be published by Dark Regions Press this Summer. Proverbs is a career-long retrospective, featuring the short stories, flash fiction, humor, and poetry that readers have said are their favorites, along with a few new items. This book should be available in limited hardcover and trade paperback editions. Keep your eyes on the new Gorelets bibliography for news.

My annotated list of Must-Have Horror Anthologies just went live on the Reading Room at Horror Fiction News Network. Do browse around their neat site. Other writers, editors and readers who have posted their chatty and informative recommended horror reading lists include Christopher Golden, Sarah Langan, and Kealan Patrick Burke.

Richard Ristow just completed a spectacular literary analysis of a recent “Gorelets” poem, “The Fall Down the Stairs of the House of Usher,” on his excellent weblog, Damned Critic. In it, he compares my style in that unpleasant poem to the imagism of writer William Carlos Williams, to show how much WCW has made an impact on free verse poetry. In the process, I think he uncovers some of the secrets behind what makes a “gorelet” poem tick. Amazing!

“Arnzen vs. William Carlos Williams” by Richard Ristow
In two parts: Part 1 and Part 2

So much depends
on a head in-
jury

Galumping down
the stair
well.

March 14-18th 2007 | ICFA-28 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Reading with Peter Straub and Ellen Kleges; Exquisite Corpse screening & panel discussion; presentaton: “The Humor and Horror of Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive and ‘Trucks’”; group poetry reading;

March 29-April 1 | World Horror Convention | Toronto, Canada
Exquisite Corpse film screening; Panels: “What Exactly is Horror?” and “Young Blood: New Writers to Look Out For”; mass autograph session; HWA signing; Doorways magazine gathering; fiction reading

July 5-6 | Odyssey Fantasy Workshop | Mt. Vernon, NH
Guest Lecturer

Sept 28-30 | Context SF Convention | Columbus, OH
Horror Guest of Honor; programming tba

No, a “Library Thing” is not a dismembered hand that sorts and reshelves stray books after the library has closed.

It’s a neat website where readers (and extreme booklovers) share and discuss their personal libraries. It’s a way to organize your collection, or a way to find and interact with fans of the same books. It was recently covered in a great article in the NY Times.

I’m now officially a Library Thing Author and welcome you to drop by and see what weird sort of things I’ve been reading. I invite you, too, to join in the fun.

If you want to enter either of the two e-mail subscriber-only contests from the latest issue of The Goreletter, remember that the deadline for entry is April 1st. Subscribe here for your chance to win a DVD of Exquisite Corpse, free Arnzen books and more.

Also: I will be a guest lecturer at the Odyssey writer’s workshop in Manchester, NH in July. The deadline for applications to Odyssey is April 13th. The director, Jeanne Cavelos, is a great teacher (I should know — she edited my first novel, Grave Markings, for Dell Books!). Here is some information about Odyssey:

Odyssey is an intensive six-week workshop for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror held each summer at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. Developing writers aged 17-65 apply from all over the world. Sixteen are admitted, and over 50% of graduates go on to be published. Director Jeanne Cavelos is a best-selling author and former senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, where she won the World Fantasy Award for her work. Top writers, editors, and agents in the field serve as guest lecturers. This summer, the workshop runs from June 11-July 20. Our writer-in-residence is Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and guest lecturers include Michael A. Burstein, Rodman Philbrick, Elizabeth Hand, John Clute, Michael A. Arnzen, and George
Scithers. The application deadline is April 13. More information is available at www.odysseyworkshop .org.

In other news, Doorways magazine is now out and their debut looks pretty sharp. I’m featured poet in this issue, which also includes stories by Jack Ketchum, Graham Materton, Sephera Giron, and many more.

While I’m at it: Bare Bone magazine #10, will be out in the next few weeks. They’re publishing a poem (“Not the Reaper”) that will also appear in my upcoming spoken word audiobook, Audiovile…and this issue has a knock-out line up of writers that’s not to be missed.

I look forward to seeing some of you at the ICFA and World Horror Convention in the month ahead!